


Future Hope

by Kisaheart



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Neverland Husbands, Panlix - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 15:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1121656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kisaheart/pseuds/Kisaheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is part two of my "Second Chances" fanfiction.  There will be one more part after this.</p><p>After receiving some unexpectedly helpful advice from Dorothy, Peter travels to Oz's home in the hopes that the great and powerful wizard will be able to resurrect his lost love.  Peter's not sure what he was expecting but it certainly wasn't this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Future Hope

  The boy stood outside of the shimmering, crystal castle with an eyebrow raised quizzically. He looked down at the paper in his hand with the directions he had followed exactly scribbled out on it. He glanced back up at the castle and let out a displeased breath.  
     When Dorothy had told him the great and powerful Oz would grant a wish to anyone that could find him, the boy hadn't expected him to live in such a lavish home set right in a field of wildflowers that stretched on for miles. The castle was massive and shined so brightly, how could anyone NOT find him?  
     The brunette boy let out another quiet sigh. This Oz had better be as powerful as Dorothy had said or he would personally put an end to that girl's eternal youth.  
     The boy stepped up the translucent icy stairs and stood before the large crystal door that towered at least twenty feet high. He hesitated for only a moment before knocking three times. Everything was silent except for the sound of a gentle breeze ruffling the flower petals around him. The boy stood there for a good two minutes before scowling and knocking again with a bit more force. He hadn't traveled for five days just to have this... wizard thing be out running errands.  
     Another three minutes passed and the boy's irritation grew. He still had some magic left in him and he was just about to blow the door to pieces when he finally heard hurried footsteps on the other side.  
     The door clicked and then slowly eased open a crack. The boy furrowed his brows as he leaned a little to the side in order to see around the wide door. He thought he saw a brown eye peeking out at him from the shadows of the crack but it quickly disappeared as the door was suddenly pulled open all the way.  
     A tall, brunette man looking to be in his early thirties stood in the doorway. He was dressed quite formally with nice black slacks on and a white buttoned-up shirt. There was a simple gold band around the ring finger of his left hand. The boy noticed how ruffled his shirt was as if it had been thrown on in a hurry and his hair was slightly disheveled.  
     The man regarded the teenage boy in front of him cooly, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly at his haggard appearance. The boy was wearing a grungy looking pair of jeans and an equally dirty blue sweater that clung to his thin frame. Despite his sunken in face and clearly starved body, his blue eyes were bright and fierce as they sized the man up.  
     The two just stood there staring at each other for several long moments before the man finally spoke up.  
     "May I help you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a suspicious tone to his voice.  
     "My name is Peter. Peter Pan," the boy began cautiously, still watching the man with mistrust. "I'm looking for Oz."  
     The man's brown eyes immediately warmed as a tiny smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.  
     "Oh, yes. Oz has been expecting you. Come inside."  
     The man took a step back in order to let Peter in. Despite the castle's magnificent outward appearance, the interior was much more simplistic. Plain wallpaper, carpeting and furnishings filled the spacious main room. Peter gazed around at the photos of two men hanging on the walls. He recognized one of them as the servant or... whatever he was. The other he had never seen before. Both men looked very happy in each of the pictures.  
     "Right this way," the man called out pleasantly from beside a wide staircase.  
     Peter followed him up the flight of stairs and then down a long hallway to a wooden door on the right.  
     "One moment please," the man said with a smile as he gently pushed open the door, stepped inside and then shut it soundly behind him.  
     Peter raised an eyebrow when he heard voices on the other side and leaned in with his ear pressed against the door. His curiosity always got the best of him.  
     "I thought you were getting dressed," the man's voice came out with an exasperated sigh.  
     "I am dressed," another man's voice stated in reply, higher in pitch than the other one and filled with offense.  
     "You're wearing THAT?" The first one asked with clear disdain.  
     "Yes, I'm wearing THIS. We haven't had a visitor in twenty years. I have to look my best. Besides, Dorothy said this boy was quite the looker. I may have to trade you in on a newer model."  
     A giggly laugh quickly followed lasting for several moments.  
     "Oh, don't make that face," the second man finally continued still giddy. "I was just kidding with you. My word! When did you become such a stick in the mud?"  
    Peter heard a sigh from the other side of the door as it was suddenly pulled open. He quickly leaned back, noticing the butler step to the side a little and then motion with his arm over at a large white sofa. A brunette man with green eyes was sitting straight up on the couch, one leg crossed over the other and his fingers laced together resting on his knee. He appeared to be in his late thirties, possibly early forties, and was grinning warmly when Peter entered the room, his eyes bright. Peter immediately recognized him as the other man from the pictures downstairs.  
     He was dressed in a very elaborate navy blue jacket with matching slacks. All kinds of golden and intricate embroidery covered the two pieces. There were several golden and silver earrings lining the man's ears as well. Peter noticed the simple, gold band on his left ring finger among all the other large, jeweled rings covering his fingers. It perfectly matched the one the other man had on his hand.  
     The man's eyes actually widened as Peter stepped into the room and the servant closed the door behind him. He got to his feet, arms spreading out in surprise as he quickly made his way over to where Peter stood.  
     "You must be Peter," he proclaimed with a light and airy tone, grasping the boy's hands in his own. "My! Dorothy wasn't lying when she said you were a cutie. How old are you again?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively before letting out a giddy laugh. The other man rolled his eyes and heaved a quiet sigh. "Kidding, kidding!"  
     Peter forced his lips upwards into an almost pained smile, silently pleading that this wasn't the Oz he was supposed to speak with.  
     "All jokes aside," the man continued with a delighted grin, still clutching the boy's hands. "My name is Oz, the Great and Powerful!" He released one of Peter's hands and motioned dramatically in the air. "Dorothy tells me you have a bit of an issue that needs immediate resolving. Unfortunately, she told me absolutely nothing about this problem, so you'll have to fill me in on all the juicy details. I certainly hope it has something to do with your eating habits because, judging from your outward appearance, that seems to be an issue that would require immediate attention."  
     Peter had to force himself not to scowl. Dorothy had failed to mention that Oz was such a... chatty and flamboyant character. A personality Peter had often found difficult to get along with. Peter had always had Felix around and the blonde hadn't been much of a talker. He was logical and calculating, silent and brooding, and Peter had loved all of it. He suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through him and he quickly shook his head ever so slightly. He was there to get Felix back. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.  
     "Actually," Peter began, looking Oz straight in the eyes, "my current physical health has very little to do with my eating habits." He paused to take a breath. "How do you feel about bringing back a human life?"  
     Oz furrowed his brows in confusion for a moment before they suddenly shot up on his forehead in surprise. He let out a muffled gasp as he clasped his free hand over his mouth, still clutching onto Peter's hand with the other.  
     "Oh my goodness," he slowly breathed out in shock. "I'm actually appalled with myself for not noticing it sooner. The weary gaze, the sunken eyes, the deathly thin body. THIS is a boy that has lost his very reason for existing! How exciting! Come, come! Tell me all about this special person!"  
     Oz tugged Peter over to the white sofa and promptly sat down at one end, crossing his legs and then resting his arm on the back of the seat. He stared at Peter with wide eyes and an eager grin, waiting expectantly for the romantic love story that would certainly follow.  
     Peter just stood by the sofa for a moment, trying to figure the man out. Why should it matter to Oz what kind of history he had with Felix? Couldn't this wizard just grant his wish and be done with it?  
     Peter heaved out a quiet sigh and finally lowered himself down onto the opposite end of the sofa. The other man from earlier remained standing at the other end of the room, seeming content to stay there.  
     Several moments passed in silence as Oz and Peter just studied each other. Finally, the man spoke up.  
     "Well? Boy or girl?" He asked, still grinning widely.  
     Peter sighed again, already feeling a headache coming on. He knew exactly where this was going.  
     "Uh... a boy," he finally muttered, looking at the bare, white wall opposite of the sofa. Peter grimaced when he heard the sharp squeal beside him.  
     "I knew it!" The man exclaimed in delight, yanking a fist through the air victoriously. He quickly cleared his throat, regaining his composure, and gave Peter a more somber expression. "A brother or...?"  
     Peter clenched and unclenched his fingers resting in his lap.  
     "A friend," he stated firmly.  
     Oz quirked an eyebrow and smirked.  
     "Now, are we talking about a friend or a "friend?"" He asked, making quotation marks in the air.  
     Peter narrowed his eyes, annoyance beginning to bubble up inside of him.  
     "Can you bring back a human life or not?" He demanded, turning a glare onto the man beside him.  
     "Of course I can," Oz replied with a scoff. Peter felt himself soften at the confidant words. "Before I go bringing anybody back from the dead though, you're gonna have to tell me a bit more about this boy. You say he's a friend but judging by your defensive posture and your feeble state, he must have been more than a friendly acquaintance. You wouldn't be such a wreak nor would you come all this way if he didn't mean something dearly to you. I have a hunch you don't do much for mere friends."  
     Peter's eyes were hard as they bored into the man's emerald gaze.  
     "What do you want?" Peter growled through clenched teeth.  
     Oz leaned in closer to the boy, his voice quiet but firm.  
     "I want you to tell me why this boy deserves his life back. Resurrecting a person is a pretty large order from any standpoint. I, personally, don't believe in meddling in fate's affairs. If this boy died from illness, then who am I to change destiny? If he was killed in battle, is it really my place to say it was a mistake? I want you to make me want him back as badly as you clearly do."  
     The two just stared at each other for a long time. For some reason, Peter felt incredibly defensive and on edge. He had never spoke of his relationship with Felix to anyone, not even the blonde himself. For this person to be demanding clarification on it was irritating to say the least. Peter had never been completely sure himself how he felt for the other boy.  
     Well... No, that wasn't entirely true. He knew EXACTLY how he felt for Felix. He was just having trouble admitting it. He had come to terms with the fact that their relationship wasn't just about friendship long ago but to accept it as love was still hard for the boy to fathom. When he had taken Felix's heart, he had brushed off his feelings as that of gratitude for the blonde's devoted loyalty but as soon as he had crushed the heart into fine ash and felt Felix's life slip through his fingers, he knew that wasn't it either.  
     Peter was the first to turn away, not wanting the man to see the sudden pain that flashed through his eyes. He cleared his throat before speaking.  
     "His name was Felix and his death was not fate or destiny. It was the only mistake I have ever made."  
     Oz quirked his eyebrows with surprise and interest as the boy recounted how he and Felix had made it to Stroybrooke and then how the curse had been enacted.  
     "I didn't know beforehand what the price of the curse was," Peter continued, keeping his eyes downcast on the floor. "By the time I had figured it out, there was no turning back. I had to go through with it or risk losing my power. Love is the greatest weakness known to man. I had to be rid of that one problem if I was ever going to achieve eternal power."  
     "And why did you want this power so badly?" Oz asked, furrowing his brows.  
     Peter crinkled his as well in confusion as he looked over at the man. Why would he ask something like that? Power was everything. Oz of all people should understand that.  
     "Did you think it would make you happy?" Oz pressed.  
     Peter turned his quizzical gaze back down at the floor. Did he think it would make him happy? Power wasn't about happiness, it was about being in control. Although, Peter guessed that he had thought at some point that would make him happy.  
     "Now, I know a little something-something about power myself," Oz continued with a gentle smile. "And of all the things it can do, make you happy is not one of them. I think you figured that out yourself though, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here with me. You would have gone back to your Neverland world and made a new life for yourself reigning supreme in a place you still had ultimate control. There would have been other children, after all. Yet, here you sit. Why?"  
     Peter breathed out heavily, his chest shaking a little, and raised his eyes to look at the wall opposite of them, waiting for the man to continue.  
     "You say love is man's greatest weakness but I'd care to spin it in the other direction. Love is man's greatest strength because it gives him the courage to do all things. Your love gave you the courage to leave your home and to plan for a new and better life. It even gave you the strength to rip out your love's own heart and crush it. Power is nothing, my boy. Love is everything."  
     Oz suddenly motioned at Peter's hunched form.  
     "I mean, just look at the weakened state you're in without it. I would hedge to say that you haven't been worse off in your entire existence. Loss of power didn't do that to you. The loss of your love did and that, dear child, is why you sit here today because you have absolutely nothing left to live for if this boy isn't by your side."  
     Peter breathed in then, looking over at the man with heart wrenching hope filling his eyes.  
     "Then you'll bring him back?" He asked quietly.  
     "Uh-uh," Oz cautioned, holding a finger up and smiling at the boy. "You've only told me how this Felix died. I want to know how he lived. What made him so special that without him you are nothing but a shell before me?"  
     Peter rolled his eyes and scoffed a little in amusement.  
     "You just want to hear a love story," he remarked with a tiny smirk.  
     "I do so enjoy a good love story," Oz giggled. "I don't get to hear very many of them these days."  
     Peter smiled sadly as he gazed down at the floor again.  
     "He was everything to me," he stated quietly.  
     Peter told Oz everything he could possibly remember about Felix. From the first day they met to the very last day they were together. Oz listened patiently, grimacing a bit at the gory battle scenes. Violence was something Felix and Peter had bonded over rather quickly. Going through their long history together hadn't been as difficult on Peter emotionally as he had expected. It was when Oz asked about who Felix was as a person when Peter felt his heart constrict.  
     "He was... loyal to a fault, clearly, but he wasn't stupid." Peter spoke quietly as he stared down at the floor, his eyes narrowed with pain. "Definitely not stupid. He was the voice of reason whenever I would get some wild idea in my head but he always went along with it. He was always up for anything I wanted to do. It was..." He paused to take a deep breath. "It was nice having someone that was so willing to be there for me. He was different than the other boys. The other boys always felt they didn't belong on Neverland and they didn't. Not completely, anyway. They had homes and families they wanted to get back to eventually but Felix was different. His home was there on Neverland. I was his family and he was mine. We belonged together."  
     Peter swallowed and took another shaky breath.  
     "I guess we always knew that in a way. That everything would be fine as long as we were together. Even when we left Neverland and went to Storybrooke, it didn't feel like anything had changed. If anything, I felt relieved to not have to deal with those other boys anymore. Felix was the only one I wanted and, even in that town, he still followed my every word. It was... I guess an eyeopener for me. On Neverland, part of me always assumed he was devoted to me simply because I was in control of the island. I was powerful there. In that young boy's body in Storybrooke though, I had nothing. I didn't have magic or power or control over anything. Yet, he still stayed with me."  
     Peter furrowed his brows in confusion as he kept his gaze locked on the floor, tears beginning to well-up in his eyes.  
     "That was when I realized that he was never with me because of my power," he chocked out, his voice cracking as a tear slowly spilled down his cheek. "He just wanted me."  
     Peter placed his hands over his face, his back hunched and shaking as quiet sobs wracked his thin body. Oz immediately scooted over, wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulders in a comforting hug. Even the other man walked over quietly and placed a hand on the boy's back, rubbing it soothingly. Oz could feel tears springing to his own eyes as well as Peter continued.  
     "I knew if I didn't rip his heart out right then, I wouldn't be able to," he sobbed, his voice muffled by his hands. "He was trying to say something to me but I didn't want to hear it. I couldn't because I knew exactly what it would be and I wouldn't be able to go through with it if he told me he loved me right then."  
     Peter just sat there, his body shaking as tears continued to fall down his cheeks and into his hands. Tears were spilling down Oz's face as well as he kept his arms wrapped around Peter. He reached one of his hands down and grasped onto the other man's that had been on Peter's back because he just needed to feel that his husband was still there, still holding it together when Oz couldn't.  
     After several minutes, Peter had finally stopped shaking, wiping at his tear stained face and clearing his throat before speaking again.  
     "I don't believe in regrets or mistakes because everything I've ever done has led me to where I am. But crushing Felix's heart was the most... selfish and stupid thing I have ever done. Not a second goes by that I don't wish it had been my heart that had been crushed to ash that day. He deserved better than that. He deserved better than falling in love with someone like me. I just-"  
     "Shh," Oz hushed, putting a finger up to Peter's lips and pulling back a little from the hug so he could look at the boy. Peter looked over at him with a bit of confusion as Oz smiled warmly at him, his face just as tear stained as Peter's.  
     "I'm sorry, love, but I can't take much more of this," the man apologized, sniffling and wiping at his own cheeks. "Alright. You've convinced me. Bailey, go get that bottle in the other room. The one with the pink liquid and the wooden- Oh, you know which one I'm talking about!"  
     The other man, Bailey, smiled softly at Oz before turning and heading out of the room. He returned a few minutes later carrying a small, glass vial filled with a dark pink liquid.  
     "That's the one!" Oz exclaimed in delight, taking the container from Bailey.  
     He studied the liquid for a moment before shaking it up a little and then handing it to Peter.  
     "There you are," he said with a warm grin, patting the boy's shoulder.  
     Peter sniffed and held the vial up to the light, squinting his eyes a little at it.  
     "What do I do? Drink it?" He asked, lowering the jar back down to his lap.  
     "Oh, heavens, no!" Oz quickly exclaimed, a bit of panic filling his voice. "Do NOT drink it! As painful as it is to say, it's actually good that you're... familiar with taking out hearts because you'll need to remove your own and pour this over it. This potion will give you back the person you love the most and I have no doubts who that is."  
     Peter looked down at the bottle before quirking his lips upwards at the mention of the person he loved most. It looked like every curse really could be broken with something. He raised an eyebrow at the man beside him.  
     "You're sure this will work?"  
     "Absolutely! You just have to believe," Oz chimed, poking Peter's nose affectionately.  
     Peter chuckled a little and then gave the man a look of sincere gratitude.  
     "Thank you," he said quietly, his gaze meeting Oz's emerald orbs.  
     "You're very welcome," the man responded with equal sincerity.  
     It was strange how helpful both Dorothy and Oz had been to Peter. It felt weird having people aid Peter out of the goodness of their hearts instead of fear. He wondered briefly if he had somehow grown soft in Felix's absence. Perhaps it was the loss of his love that made him seem more human and approachable. He wasn't the all-powerful, demented ruler of Neverland anymore. He was simply a boy with a broken heart.  
     Peter studied Oz for a moment longer before leaning over and wrapping his arms around the neck. Oz was a bit surprised by the action but gladly accepted the hug with a squeeze of his own back.  
     All of this hugging people, Peter thought with a bit of disgust at himself, pulling back from the man. Maybe he really had grown soft without Felix.  
     Peter stood then, stuffing the little vial in his jeans' pocket and heading for the door of the room. That was when Oz's voice suddenly rang out from where he was still seated on the sofa.  
     "Oh, by the way! There is one last little thing you need to do for me."  
     Peter's hand was on the doorknob as he turned to look back at the two men with a suspicious eyebrow raised.  
     "What?" He asked warily.  
     "You have to promise to invite us to your wedding," Oz gushed, biting his bottom lip with suppressed excitement and tugging on Bailey's hand. Bailey smiled softly in amusement and rolled his eyes as he stood beside the man.  
     Peter felt a warm smile tug at the corners of his lips as he gazed at the two husbands.  
     "Of course."


End file.
